First Kiss  an MEU prequel
by MiddleEarthUni
Summary: by Corli & Kel - Merry and Pippin have different responses to their first kiss.  This takes place in the same universe as MEU.
1. Chapter 1

**Insomnia** - written by Corli

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_**Merry and Pippin both have trouble sleeping after they've shared their first kiss.**_

_**.**_

Merry couldn't sleep.

Of course, how could he be EXPECTED to sleep after what had just happened? Especially when Pippin now lay just inches away from him in the darkness, snoring away.

Of course, sharing a bed with Pippin wasn't a new experience. They'd done it off and on their entire lives, and every night this summer. But now everything had changed. Every snore, every stir, every touch made Merry feel a surge of energy pulse through him. And he was supposed to fall ASLEEP under these circumstances?

And Pippin had just laughed when Merry suggested he sleep on the floor. "Why would you want to do THAT?" Pippin has asked, completely oblivious to Merry's distress. But THIS was why. Merry knew that he'd never be able to fall asleep with each snore ruffling his hair.

'I'm not gonna fall asleep,' Merry thought to himself, 'so why even bother trying?'

Opening his eyes, Merry stared at the sleeping face on the pillow next to him. Through the darkness, Merry could see Pippin's curls matted against the pillow, his long eyelashes fluttering against his cheek, his mouth hung open as he slept. But once Merry's eyes fell upon Pippin's lips they stayed there, unable to be averted. Those lips had kissed him. Those lips had touched his. Those lips had changed EVERYTHING.

Pippin stirred somewhat in his sleep, his foot brushing softly against Merry's shin. Without thinking, Merry jerked his leg away and then scolded himself for doing so. 'He's still just Pippin,' he reminded himself.

But that wasn't really true, for now he was so much more. He was Pippin who had kissed him, Pippin who had touched him, Pippin whom he wanted to hold for the rest of his life.

Merry sighed frustratedly and rolled onto his back. He was gonna be a wreck tomorrow without sleep, and he wished he could just turn off his mind for awhile. 'Perhaps I should try counting sheep,' Merry thought even as his mind turned once again to the evening's events, reliving them again and again.

Pippin's snore suddenly turned into a snort, waking himself for an instant before turning over onto his other side so that his back was now to Merry. His even breathing returned, although the snores did not, and Merry thought he heard Pippin whisper something through the darkness.

"What?" Merry asked, turning back onto his side and staring at Pippin's curls.

Pippin turned his head slightly and mumbled groggily, "You can spoon me if you want." He reached back blindly with his free arm and fumbled around until he found Merry's hand, taking it and pulling it over so he could snuggle it against his chest.

His hand held so prisoner, Merry had no choice but to scooch forward on the bed till he was indeed spooning Pippin, his chest ever so slightly touching Pippin's back, his thighs brushing against Pippin's. Merry held his breath, thinking that he'd NEVER fall asleep now.

But he was wrong. For the safety and warmth he now felt, pressed against Pippin so, relaxed and comforted him. He may be Pippin who had kissed him, but he was also Pippin his lifelong friend and confidante. And things were going to be okay, despite the confusion inside his head.

And almost immediately after Pippin's groggy, "G'night," Merry fell fast asleep.

...

Pippin felt hot.

In the early morning half-asleep state he was in, that was the only coherent thought that penetrated his brain - he felt hot. But slowly, as his mind began to surface from dreamy unconsciousness, he realized the cause of his increased body temperature: the body that was pressed tightly against his back.

Waking to find Merry huddled against him was nothing new - the nights often grew chilly here at Crickhollow, and Pippin had long been infamous for stealing covers in his sleep, so a slumbering Merry often sought out the warmth of Pippin's body. When this had happened in the past, Pippin had shoved his friend back to his side of the bed, waking Merry and causing him to grouse good-naturedly: "Cover-stealer! Window-rattler! Why'd I invite you to stay with me again?"

But Pippin wasn't shoving Merry away this morning. Instead, he clutched Merry's arm tighter to his chest and snuggled back into him, his eyes closed so he could concentrate on the sensation of Merry against him.

Mmmmm. Merry. The mere thought of him this morning made Pippin grin with gleeful delight. Up until last night Merry had been his best friend, but now Pippin had crossed that line. There was no going back, no returning to the way things were before. And Pippin knew he had the wine to thank for that.

The thought of the wine made Pippin sigh contentedly. Merry had found the old bottle tucked away in the back of a cupboard, and they'd eagerly launched into it, certain that no one would miss the long misplaced bottle. The wine itself had fermented, giving it a vinegary taste, but they had downed the entire bottle anyway. And Pippin would now remember that taste forever, for Merry's lips had tasted of it when he kissed them.

And Pippin knew he never would've tasted them in the first place if the wine hadn't given him the courage to see what had no doubt been there for some time.

Now, without the warm haze of alcohol muddying his thoughts, Pippin could see things even more clearly as he tried to recall every detail of last night's events.

"Pass the bottle, Pip."

In the morning light, Pippin realized that Merry's words probably weren't quite the invitation he'd imagined them to be last night. But, invited or not, Merry hadn't rejected his kiss. In fact, after the initial surprise had worn off, Merry had kissed him as much as he'd kissed back. And Pippin couldn't have been more pleased with Merry's reaction.

Yet he was quite surprised at his OWN reaction. Pippin had certainly kissed his share of girls back in high school; mostly it had been quite pleasant, but he'd never really had the urge to do more. When those urges DID come, he preferred to just lock himself away in his room, blaring his music. Of course, he could still remember with clarity the day he'd FORGOTTEN to lock his door, and he often wondered if his mother still suffered horrifying flashbacks whenever she heard "Touch Me, Baby" played as muzack in the doctor's office.

But kissing Merry, Pippin had suddenly understood what those boys had been talking about in the locker room. Merry's lips had sent a surge of electricity through his entire body - not to mention his trousers - and Pippin had never wanted that sensation to end.

But it HAD ended. Or at least the KISS had. But now here they were, the two of them snuggled close together in the same bed they'd innocently shared all summer. Pippin couldn't be happier, and he sleepily stretched like a contented cat in Merry's arms. Unfortunately, the movement caused Merry to stir, and Pippin instantly froze in place, not wanting to awaken his sleeping companion.

For Pippin KNEW Merry, and, once awakened, Pippin knew he'd want to talk.

But what was there to talk about? He'd kissed Merry. Merry'd kissed back. It was heaven.

So unless Merry wanted to dig a thesaurus out from the dusty shelves and look up synonyms ("paradise", "bliss", "rapture"), Pippin had no use for words right now.

For Pippin was content just to lie here in Merry's arms, joyous and comfortable despite the heat being generated between them.

And, thus feeling so at ease, Pippin fell back asleep.

...


	2. Chapter 2

**The Morning After** - written by Kel

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_**Pippin tries to convince Merry that everything's going to be fine the morning after they share their first kiss.**_

_**.**_

It was late.

Pippin could see the light of the morning sun through his closed eyelids, feel the warmth of it on his skin. He raised his head slightly from the pillow and opened his eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight. It had to be at least 10 o'clock.

'We should have been up hours ago. Merry's gonna freak.'

Pippin laid his head back down on the pillow, turning to lay on his side so he could regard his companion. Merry had moved away in his sleep, but he still lay tantalizingly close, close enough for Pippin to feel Merry's breath on his face. The sunlight streaming in through the windows cast a golden glow on Merry's messy curls. Combined with his peacefully sleeping face, it almost made him look angelic.

Pippin knew better, of course. Laying here, watching Merry sleep, he thought back on all the mischief they had wrought together upon unsuspecting friends and relations. Merry had been his partner in crime, both figuratively and literally, for nearly his entire life. And, Pippin hoped, encouraged by the previous night's events, Merry would soon be his partner in other things as well. He smiled.

In the trees outside the window, birds twittered and chirped as they set about their morning activities. Merry stirred at the sound. Pippin's smile fell.

'No, don't wake up. Not yet.'

After he woke, Merry would no doubt want to talk about what had happened. Pippin didn't want to talk. He didn't want to let Merry debate the pros and cons of that one sweet, wonderful kiss.

Pippin sighed in resignation as Merry opened his eyes.

"Hey, Pip," Merry said with a smile, then groaned as he squinted in the bright sunlight. "Uuuuuuuuuugh."

"Are you okay?" Pippin asked, concerned.

Merry scrubbed at his eyes with his fists. "I feel like I got dragged behind a team of ponies across Buckland."

Pippin chuckled. "Mouth full of dirt?"

Merry nodded, then winced in pain. "And eyes full of sand, and stones in my head. Ugh, I hope I don't look as bad as I feel," he said, running a hand through his hair.

'You look beautiful to me,' Pippin thought, as he watched Merry gingerly sit up in bed.

"What about you, Pip? How are you feeling?"

Pippin grinned. "Fine."

Merry's eyes widened. "Fine?"

Pippin nodded. "Uh-huh."

"No headache, no cotton mouth?"

Pippin shook his head. "Nope."

"It's not fair!" Merry whined, falling back onto the pillows. "I grew up in Buckland wine country, drinking since I was practically an infant, and a little bit of old wine knocks me on my arse. You drank more than I did last night and you're just fine."

Pippin shrugged. "Just lucky, I guess."

"I hate you," Merry moaned miserably.

"No you don't," Pippin chuckled.

"Yes, I do," Merry insisted.

"If I get you some water, will all be forgiven?"

Merry brightened. "Yes, please!"

"And you won't hate me anymore?"

Merry gave a little smile. "Pippin, if you bring me water, I will love you forever."

"Ooh, promise?" Pippin laughed, hopping down from the bed.

Pippin padded over to the bathroom. As he filled a cup from the tap, he could hear Merry mumbling from the bedroom.

"...an' ever an' ever an' ever."

Pippin smiled to himself. Maybe he had no reason to worry. Maybe he and Merry would forgo "the talk" and go straight back to kissing. After all, what was there to talk about? Merry's lips said so much more when they were pressed against his.

When he returned to the bedroom, Merry was sitting back up in bed, rubbing his eyes. Pippin sat beside Merry on the bed, offering him the glass.

Merry gulped greedily at the water, sighing heavily as he set the empty glass on the bedside table. Pippin watched him hopefully, searching Merry's face for any signs of what might happen next. Neither spoke for several moments.

"So," Merry finally said, "it's kind of late."

"Yeah," Pippin answered sheepishly. "I didn't know if you wanted to get up early or what."

Merry shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. We can take it easy this morning."

Pippin nodded. "Okay. Sounds good to me."

Merry looked at Pippin. "So."

Pippin raised his eyebrows. "So?"

Merry chuckled weakly, then took a deep breath.

Pippin held his breath, his stomach churning with dread. 'Oh no, here it comes.'

"So, Pip, about last night..."

"...we need to talk," Pippin said in unison with Merry.

Merry laughed. "I'm that predictable?"

Pippin took advantage of the opening. "I know exactly what you're going to say, Merry. You're going to say that we need to think about this. That it was a mistake. That we were drunk and it was only the wine. That we never would have done it sober. But it WASN'T just the wine, Merry! What happened was real and wonderful. I FELT it. Didn't you feel it?"

"Pippin-"

"Wait, let me finish," Pippin interrupted. "Maybe I wouldn't have kissed you if I wasn't drunk, but that doesn't mean I never WANTED to! Maybe the wine gave me the courage I needed to show you how I REALLY felt!"

"Pippin-"

Pippin's voice grew louder as he continued, "And maybe it was a stupid thing for me to do, because maybe now you think I'm some sick weirdo. Maybe I put our friendship at risk by kissing you. Maybe now you'll ask me to leave and not talk to you anymore. I know we probably can't go back to the way things were, but you know what? I'm GLAD I did it, Merry. I'm GLAD I took the risk. I CARE about you, Merry. I care about you A LOT. That's WHY I kissed you. And I think, you care about me, too, and that's why you kissed me back. ISN'T IT?"

"PIPPIN!"

For the first time, Pippin noticed that Merry's eyes were closed and he was wincing in pain. "What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly worried more about his friend than his own confession. Merry looked awfully pale.

"Could you please lower your voice?" Merry pleaded, frowning as he rubbed at his temples. "When you yell at me like that, it feels like you're stabbing my head with ice picks."

"I was yelling?" Pippin asked, surprised.

Merry smiled, though his face was still pained. "You were yelling, Pip." He opened his eyes. "But you didn't need to. I got your point."

Pippin lowered his head bashfully.

"Do I get to talk now?"

Pippin nodded, still chagrined. "Sure."

Merry took another deep breath. "What I was trying to say was that last night was-" He stopped suddenly.

Pippin looked up. "Merry?" He put a hand on Merry's arm, worried at how cold and clammy the skin felt.

Without saying a word, Merry climbed down from the bed and hastily left the room. A moment later, Pippin heard the unmistakable sound of retching from the bathroom.

'Last night was what? Awful? Horrifying? So terrible that the mere thought of it made me vomit in disgust?' Pippin fretted as he heard the sound of the bathroom faucet.

Pippin pushed his anxiety aside and smiled sympathetically as Merry trudged back into the bedroom. "Are you going to be okay?" Pippin asked.

Merry sighed wearily. "I'll survive." He settled back on the bed. "What were we talking about?"

"About last night..." Pippin said, trying not to sound too eager and failing miserably.

Merry smiled. "That's right. Last night...last night was really..." He looked at Pippin and blushed. "It was nice."

"Nice?" Pippin repeated.

"Well," Merry chuckled sheepishly, "Better than nice."

"Really?"

"Yes, Pippin. Really."

"Really?"

Merry laughed and leaned over to kiss Pippin softly on the mouth. Pippin tasted toothpaste, minty-cool on Merry's lips. His heart raced as he felt another surge of electricity race through his body, even more intense than the one he felt the previous night.

"Really," Merry said as he pulled away, smiling.

...


End file.
